"Plan grants increased water access to all three parties, but environmentalists warn of unpredictable consequences."

"Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians signed a historic water-sharing initiative at the World Bank in Washington on Monday. The deal capped 11 years of water negotiations, and came as the United States continues to push a new effort to forge a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

The project envisions a new desalination plant at Aqaba, where Jordan meets the Red Sea, as the lynchpin of a sharing deal involving Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian government in the West Bank.

Advocates say the project could protect water resources in the region amid rising demand, a continuing political impasse between Israelis and Palestinians, and concerns that climate change could threaten supplies."